Vehicle-wheel.



. A. R. WYLIE 6a J. G. WRIGHT.

VEHICLE WHEEL. APPLIGATION FILED JUNE 7, 1910.

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ALFRED R. WYLIE AND JAMES G. WRIGHT, OF BIG SPRING, TEXAS.

VEHICLE-WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 10, 1911.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that we, ALFRED R. WYLIE and JAMES G. WRIGHT, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Big Spring, in the county of Howard andState of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inVehicle-Wheels, of which the fol` lowing is a specification.

Our invention relates to new and useful improvements in vehicle wheels,and more particularly automobile wheels. Its object is to provide avehicle wheel provided with a substitute for the pneumatic tire of acheaper and more lasting construction than such a tire.

A further object is to provide a vehicle wheel in which the shocks andjars imparted to the rim will be taken up by a plurality of springsmounted radially from the hub.

A still further object is to provide resilient means for transmittingthe rotation of the hub to the outer portions of the wheel and toprovide means to reduce the friction imparted to the wheel such as itundergoes in turning corners.

Finally the object of the invention is to provide a device of thecharacter described that will be strong, durable, simple and eiiicientand comparatively easy to construct and one, the various parts of whichwill not be likely to get out of working order.

With these and various other objects in view, our invention has relationto certain novel features of construction and operation an example ofwhich is described in the following specication and illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the wheel part of the structure beingbroken away. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line ofFig. 1 showing half the wheel. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of theresilient means employed to transmit the rotation from the hub to theouter parts of the wheel. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a ball-bearingcollar and a frame in which the same is mounted, the frame beingprovided with a roller at each extremity. The purpose of thisconstruction is made clear hereinafter.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing wherein like numerals ofreference designate similar parts in all the figures, the numeral 1denotes the central hub of the wheel and 2 a plurality of circular rodsprojecting radially therefrom. The extremities of these rods areconnected by a ring 3 adding to their strength and rigidity. Upon eachof the rods 2 is mounted a coiled spring 4, the inner extremity of whichbears against a washer 5 restricted from inward ner rings 11 and outerrings 12. Between the inner rings 11 a plurality of blocks 13 arerigidly mounted equidistantly between the rods. To each of these blocksis rigidly secured the apex of a V-shaped spring 14. The outerextremities of the springs 14 bear against rollers 15 which are mountedbetween the arms 9 at the two extremities of said arms. A plurality ofspokes 16 project integrally from each of the rings 11, the outerextremities of said spokes being secured by any suitable means to afelly 17. The felly 17 will preferably be of metal, and a wooden felly18 may be used in conjunction therewith in order to vtake up thevibration imparted to the metallic felly and to reduce the noise. Asolid rubber tire may be mounted upon the felly 17 as indicated by thenumeral 19. Upon each of the hubs 1 is threaded a circular plate 20provided with a ball-race near its outer rim to receive ball bearings21.

This wheel may be considered to consist of two separate rigid framescapable of relative motion in regard to each other, the coiled springs 4serving to communicate this motion from one frame to the other. One ofthese frames consists of the hub 1 carrying the disks 2O upon its endsand the rods 2 projecting radially from said hub. The other frame iscomposed of the felly 17 with its rubber tire, the spokes 16, the rings11 and 12 and the blocks 13 with their attached V-shaped springs 14.

When a shock is imparted to the bottom of this wheel an approximatelyupward displacement results of the larger outer frame relative to thesmaller inner frame. This will produce a compression. An upwarddisplacement will thus result in the case of each of the collars 7 whosesupporting rod 2 is sufciently near the vertical to permit a verticallyacting impulse to displace said collars. This upward displacement of thecollars 7 will produce a compression of the springs I upon the lowerhalf of the wheel. In case the rods 2 carrying the collars 7 arehorizontal or are far removed from the vertical, the upward displacementof the outer frame will not produce a sliding motion of the collars. Inthis case, however, the radial bars 10 will swing slightly about theirpivotal supports in the rings l1 and 12 producing a compression of theV-shaped springs lll. Therefore, any shocks imparted to the outer framewill be transmitted to the inner frame through the springs l and 14: andthese springs will serve to reduce the force of the shocks in the samemanner that the pneumatic tire acts to accomplish the same result. Thesprings 14: serve to communicate a rotary impulse from either the innerframe to the outer one or vice versa according to whether the wheels aremounted upon the rear driving axle or are mounted free upon the frontaxle of the automobile.

By means of the plates 2O and the ball bearings 21 the side thrust whichcomes into play when the vehicle upon which this wheel is mounted turnsa corner is counteracted with the least possible friction. The ballbearings prevent undue friction when the two component frames of thewheel undergo relative displacement.

rIhe above described vehicle wheel is superior to wheels employingpneumatic tires in both economy and durability, and also in the qualityof service given, since by eliminating the pneumatic tire there can beno punctures, blowouts or slipping.

W'hat we claim is:

l. In a vehicle wheel, the combination with an inner frame including thehub and rods projecting radially therefrom; of an outer frame includingthe spokes and means connecting the inner extremities of the spokes,coiled springs mounted upon said radial rods, V-shaped springs mountedbetween tlie said connecting means for the inner extremities of thespokes, means bearing against the outer ends of the coiled springs andengaged by said V-shaped springs and connections between the spokeconnecting means and the last means to communicate motion from one ofthe component frames to the other.

2. In a vehicle wheel, the combination with the rim, spokes and hubthereof, of rods projecting radially from the hub, a spring coiled uponeach rod, rings connecting the inner extremities of the spokes, armsprojecting radially from said rings and pivotally attached thereto,means by which a displacement may be communicated from the extremitiesof said arms to said coiled springs, V-shaped springs having theirapices mounted between said rings, and means interposed between theouter extremities of the V-shaped springs and each of the radial rods.

3. In a vehicle wheel, the combination with the rim, spokes and hubthereof of rods projecting radially from the hub, a spring coiled uponeach rod having its inner extremity restricted from inward displacement,a collar slidable upon each rod adjacent to the outer extremity of thespring thereupon, rings to which the inner extremity of the spokes arerigidly secured, radial arms having their inner extremities pivotallyattached to the said rings and their outer extremities attached to saidsliding collar and a resilient means for communieating rotation from thehub to said rings.

4. In a vehicle wheel, the combination with the rim, spokes and hubthereof, of rods projecting radially from the hub, a spring coiled uponeach rod, a ring connecting the extremities of said rods, meanspreventing inward displacement of the inner extremities of the springs,a collar mounted upon each rod adjacent to the outer extremity of thespring thereupon, rings connecting the inner extremities of the spokes,radial bars having their inner Aextremities pivoted upon said rings andtheir outer extremities pivotally secured to said collars, and V-shapedsprings having their apices rigidly mounted between said rings and theirouter extremities bearing against said rods.

5. In a vehicle wheel, the combination with the rim, spokes and hubthereof, of a plurality of rods projecting radially from said hub, aring connecting the outer extremities of the rods, a spring coiled uponeach rod, having its inner extremity restricted from inwarddisplacement, a collar slidable upon each rod adjacent to the outerextremity of the spring thereupon, rings to which the inner extremitiesof the spokes are secured, radial bars having their inner extremitiespivoted to said rings and their outer extremities attached to saidcollars, V- shaped springs having their apices rigid between said rings,rollers mounted upon the outer extremities of said bars against whichthe outer extremities of the V-shaped springs bear, and disks mountedupon the hub at each extremity thereof preventing transversedisplacement of said rings.

6. In a vehicle wheel, the combination with the rim, spokes and hubthereof, of rods projecting radially from the hub, a spring coiled uponeach rod, rings to which the inner extremities of the spokes aresecured, bars projecting radially from said rings having their innerextremities pivoted thereupon, rollers carried by the outer extremitiesof said bars, means connecting the outer extremities of the bars to theaforesaid springs-so that a radial displacement of said In testimonywhereof we have signed our bars will produce a tension in the springs,names to this speoication in the presence of 10 V-shaped springs mountedbetween said two subscribing witnesses.

rings having their outer extremities bearing ALFRED R. WYLIE. againstsaid rollers, disks mounted upon JABTES Gr. WRIGHT. the hub at eachextremity thereof and ball Witnesses:

bearings interposed between said disks and J. S. MURRAY,

said rings. S. R. HICKMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

